An Inkling Of Metal

Day 202: This inkle band measures 9mm in width, and to add to the difficulties in creating it, I've used a metallic thread for the pickup pattern. The metallic has no stretch, is wiry and harsh on my hands, and further complicating the weave, I'm doing it on my micro-inkle which is so small that I can only work one full motif before having to advance the band, and even at that, I can barely get a finger in the shed. The ground thread is #40 tatting cotton. A tiny bity of foresight kept me from warping it with sewing thread! I'm always up for a challenge. When I made my very first piece of bobbin lace...what, fifty years ago?...I used a metallic thread. I swore I'd never touch the stuff again, but here I am. The "up" side of this project is that the micro-inkle only holds a little more than a yard of warp, and I have about half of that done. How will I use the band? Who knows? I'm just treading water, waiting for the end of the world.

Shepherd's Krokbragd

Day 132: First, a word of explanation. Weaving is all that's keeping me sane right now. It lets me feel I have some small measure of control over my life, watching the pattern develop under my hands. Bear with me, dear readers.

Krokbragd sheep (turned krokbragd, actually) are fun to weave. If you're unfamiliar with krokbragd, it is characterized by being repeats of four throws which use three sheds. Two of the sheds are identical, so it's kinda like creating designs with a nine-pin printer. You don't have a lot of flexibility, but if you're creative, you can come up with some cute patterns. The design is entirely loom-controlled, although it takes some special setup to create the third shed. In this case, the sheep's legs are created by the repeating shed while the face is a different shed and the space between the sheep is another. The order of the sheds goes 1-2-3-2. No matter how wide your piece is, that's all you have to work with lengthwise.

My draft is a spin-off from one I found on line which had sheep which were rather too tall and skinny. I mean, I want wool on my critter, and I want lamb chops in my freezer, right? A sheep needs to be fluffy and plump. It didn't take much work to fatten up my ewes, and at the same time, I felt they should have a nice pasture, so I planted some daisies. I've woven many sheepie bands over time, and have used a number of variations. The band in the photo isn't exactly what the draft yields. The draft includes grass in the pasture, and in the band, I've substituted "X" (background) for the "G" grass. If you work the pattern a few times, you'll see how it can be changed up in subsequent bands. The warping technique for inkle loom is explained in Anne Dixon's "Inkle Pattern Directory," but I have included a visual to assist with her somewhat awkward explanation.

Another Band Done

Day 130: And here's another project done and dusted! This band is roughly three yards long and has four different motifs repeating A-D-B-D-C-D. It was woven with 10/2 cotton for the ground and border with 8/2 (white) for the nine single pattern threads. It is a pickup design, meaning that I have to select which pattern threads I want to have on the face of the band each time I pass the shuttle. On the inkle loom, this means that sometimes I lift pattern threads up from the lower shed, or push them down and out of the way from where they occur in the upper shed, and on some passes, I both raise some and suppress others. The same technique can be used with the Glimakra band loom when it is set up to function like an inkle loom, but I prefer to have all my pattern threads suspended in the center of the shed so that I can select the ones I wish to have on the surface. The end result is the same: floats creating the surface design which gives Scandinavian/eastern European band weaving its characteristic appearance. Designs need not be geometric. The weaver can also create "pictures" of birds and other creatures, or even an alphabet given the appropriate number of pattern threads.

Scaling It Down

Day 51: Although I am working on a band on the big inkle (it needs a name, I think), Inky-Dinky Inkle was reluctant to go back on the shelf just yet, and in fact appeared to be asking for a long-term project. Why not? I'd bought two spools of green sewing thread with a band in mind, but hadn't selected a design. I'd intended to weave it on Pippin, my two-shaft "Weave Ahoy" loom (also currently empty), but Inky-Dinky fits better on my lap when Merry is otherwise engaged, so this morning, I warped with nine pattern threads, still unsettled on exactly what I wanted to weave. Browsing through Heather Torgenrud's "Norwegian Pick-up," I found this pattern and liked how the hearts were formed by the green ground threads (standard sewing thread) against the significantly heavier 10/2 gold and white. The idea of negative-space designs is not unusual in band-weaving, although it is more common to place emphasis on thicker (or doubled) pattern threads. With the full 60" of warp on the loom, I'll be here a while.

Warping The Big Inkle

Day 48: Nothing preys on my mind quite so much as an empty loom. For some months now, the big inkle has been serving as a cat-baffle in a location forbidden to Merry, its pegs sufficient to render access almost impossible. It's been driving me nuts to have it sitting unused, so now that he's bigger, I was able to replace it with something else, and spent yesterday warping it to its full capacity of 110". So anxious was I to start inkling on it again that I didn't consider how difficult it was going to be for my old eyes to see the threads of a rich blue 10/2 cotton ground. I keep getting them on the wrong side of the nine 8/2 white pattern threads as I do Baltic pickup.And that's not the only woopsie I keep making. The last band I wove contained seven pattern threads, so my verbal shorthand of "3-1-3" means something different with nine threads, namely that the first and last are ignored in this case. Had I chosen to use 11, 15, 21...anything with more than just one more thread on each side...I wouldn't have confused myself quite so thoroughly. That said, now that I'm a few motifs into the band, my thinker is beginning to readjust. Better lighting is helping with the thread pickup issues as well. As I've mentioned a few times recently, I currently have the attention span of a gerbil, working on any one project until I've completed a single motif, then moving over to the spinning wheel to spin up a six-inch chunk of wool, then knitting five rounds on a sock. I suppose it doesn't matter because my hands are always busy, and I complete every project, usually bringing three or four to fruition within days of each other. Now Inky-Dinky Inkle is empty, giving me baleful glances from the shelf. I have to do something about that fairly soon.

Do You Ever Have The Feeling...

Day 47: This was not the picture I intended to post today, but when it came out of the camera, I laughed so hard, the tears were rolling down my cheeks. My little "weaver's cat" is being so good about resisting the temptation of all those fascinating strings, especially the one curling off the cone as I wind warps. And I realize that's an awful lot to ask of an eight-month old kitten, but he is coming to understand that this is something Mama does, and that if he interferes or gets rowdy, he's likely to get stuffed in the Time-Out box until I'm done. There were a few times as I began warping my big inkle loom that I had to speak sharply to him, but after a couple of reprimands, he hopped up onto the harpsichord and curled up on his blanket for a nap. Such a good little kid!

Nine-Foot Flock

Day 97: I am a long way from taking Murphy's Band off the bonker loom, but only inches away from completing the Nine-foot Flock on the inkle. Sheep are so much fun to make in krokbragd that I've already picked out the colours for another band. Krokbragd is more difficult when woven on a regular loom because it is composed three sheds in four throws, two of which are identical. That might not seem like a problem, but it means that there is twice as much take-up on one set of warp threads because they pass over two weft threads. This means that the remaining two sets which only pass over one weft tend to go somewhat slack in comparison. While the problem still exists with an inkle loom or band loom, it does not develop to the same extent that it does on a standard loom. Even when working krokbragd on a rigid heddle, I eventually have to add additional weight to the loosened warps in order to maintain equal tension.

One Thing At A Time

Day 95: You've heard it said that there are exceptions to every rule. Weaving is the exception to my self-imposed restriction which dictates that I can only work on one project at a time of any particular type of fiberart. Knit, crochet, tat, etc., I am only allowed one of each in progress. Why is weaving different? Because there are so many different ways it can be done. Certainly, all of them involve crossing vertical threads with horizontal ones if it comes right down to it, but each style of weaving requires a different skill-set to achieve the end result. Although three of the looms in the picture are small and portable and generally occupy the living room when in service, the floor loom (a corner of which is visible in the lower right) is what gives the "Loom Room" its name. It went into that room in pieces, and the only way it will ever come out is if it is dismantled. It occupies over a quarter of the available floor space. Looms not currently in use take up much of what remains. I nearly always have at least two looms in operation, and there has never been a time when all of them were empty at once.

Krokbragd On An Inkle Loom

Day 124: Eight inches of snow is a wonderful motivator. I polished off both my inkle loom project and the tablet-weaving piece hung over the small rigid heddle, leaving my schedule open for a new challenge: krokbragd on an inkle loom. Like the Monk's Belt, krokbragd is a weft-faced weave when created on a standard loom, but when you translate it to inkle-speak, it has to be turned so that it becomes warp-faced. In other words, the pattern appears as a result of the warp threads riding over the weft rather than vice versa. I've done krokbragd on both my floor loom and the rigid heddle, and although the results were satisfactory, the technique and more specifically, remembering where I'd left off frequently occasioned blue language. However, on the inkle loom, this Scandinavian style of weaving is dead-easy once you've set up the auxiliary heddles.

The quirk to inkling krokbragd is that you need three sheds. An inkle loom normally only provides two: up and down. Patterns like Monk's Belt and South American Pebble Weave can be made by lifting threads up from the lower half of the shed or pushing them down from the upper half, but in krokbragd, this would be too time-consuming and confusing. It is far easier to set up "artificial" sheds beforehand so that the warp can be manipulated with a quick, single hand-motion. In addition to the heddled threads the weaver sets up during warping, two additional sheds need to be created. The first is done by placing additional heddles on the desired threads, drawing them up through the warp in sequence and fastening them all together on a safety pin, stitch holder or short dowel (you might drop threads off a dowel, so be careful while weaving). The second shed is made by picking up alternate threads from those you just heddled, dropping the heddled threads under the pickup stick, while at the same time raising them above the remainder of the warp. Sounds complicated, doesn't it? Believe me, I made quite a few mistakes on the first pass. In the photo above, this shed (#2) is held on a carabiner. Shed #3 consists of the threads held by the blue nylon heddles on the safety pin. Note that both of these sheds are held behind the front top peg on my Ashford inkle loom. If you have a different style inkle loom, you may have a slightly different setup. Now, assuming you have all your ducks (heddles) in a row, you can begin weaving. You'll only need one colour, one shuttle and a cup of coffee or tea. Raise shed #2, make a throw. Lower shed #1, make a throw. Raise shed #3, make a throw. Raise shed #1 again, make a throw. Repeat this sequence of sheds to your heart's content: 2-1-3-1, 2-1-3-1, 2-1-3-1 and you're weaving krokbragd. I've used a cheap knitting worsted for both warp and weft to create the cute little "daisies" in the inset.

Overshot Weaving

Day 119: Overshot weaving is a technique in which floats of pattern thread ride above a contrasting background of plain (tabby) weave. It has a number of variations, each with their own name, but the principle is the same when weaving on a standard loom: one throw of a heavier weft is followed by a tabby throw of the lighter thread to lock the pattern thread in place. However, when adapting overshot to a warp-faced weaving method such as inkle weaving, the process has to be "stood on its head" so that the warps create the floats rather than the weft. I had not done any overshot on the inkle loom, so I decided to go all-out and picked up the challenge of weaving Celtic knots in the style known as "Monk's Belt." It took the better part of the morning and a lot of picking back before I'd gained confidence in the technique, but as you can see, it is now progressing nicely. The pattern thread is less than optimal, knitting worsted being rather "grabby" and requiring a lot of coaxing when trying to open a shed, but it was what I had on hand and it wouldn't have busted the piggy bank if I'd decided to cut it off and throw it away. My next piece of Monk's Belt will use a smoother thread for the floats, but the same 8/2 cotton for the background.

Loom Types

Day 112: Gosh, here I am, rambling on about heddles and sheds, and I haven't shown you the most important part: the looms themselves! And forgive me, I had finished assembling the collage before realizing that I'd left out backstrap, so you'll just have to imagine a simple warp attached to a hook on one end and my waist on the other.

When I'm ready to engage in a serious weaving project which requires a long warp and a time commitment of several weeks or even months, I set it up on my four-foot floor loom (top left). This beast occupies the better part of my crafts room which, despite the name, is not a room where I do crafts, but rather the space in which all my supplies are kept. A floor loom needs a home of its own. It's not the type of thing you put in your living room for several reasons. One, it won't leave much room for guests and two, the act of weaving generates an uncommon amount of lint as the fibers rub against each other and against the parts of the loom. If you are thinking about getting a floor loom, you might want to ask yourself what it would be like to have a St. Bernard in the house. Right. Moving on, then.

A far more reasonable consideration for the casual hobbyist weaver would be a table loom. The distinction between it and a floor loom is somewhat loosely defined because many table looms can be mounted on floor stands, and kits are available for some to convert from jack operation (hand levers) to treadles, essentially turning the "table" model into a floor loom. Better to think of it as a matter of size. A table loom fits on a table. A floor loom does not. My table loom is shown center bottom, currently unwarped because I have a project on the floor loom. You can see the jack levers at the center top, two up and two down.

Rigid heddle looms (left and right bottom) are very portable and a good place for a novice weaver to begin. They are built to be used on a table-top, but can also be mounted in a floor stand. Table space being at something of a premium around here, both of mine are on stands. Although the one on the left is being used in the customary fashion while I weave a scarf, the one on the right holds a tablet-weaving project, its warps weighted with water-filled Gatorade bottles (the same warp-stretching method I use to warp my floor and table looms by myself). A major difference between standard weaving looms and rigid-heddle looms is in the heddles. Metal straps, wires or strings are used to hold the warp threads in sequence on a standard loom. These heddles slide along bars in the harness frame, permitting the weaver to use almost any size thread which will pass through the eye. On the other hand, a rigid heddle is exactly that: rigid, i.e., a piece of plastic with a set number of eyes and slots per inch. To change the number of threads per inch, the weaver has to swap out one rigid heddle for another of a different size. However, when using a floor/table loom, the number of threads per inch is determined by the reed, a slotted metal guide which is held in the beater bar. Weaver argot for this is "dents per inch," i.e., the number of slots in an inch of reed. It is important to note here that sometimes more than one warp thread is drawn through each dent. For example, I once wove a linen piece at 45 threads per inch, but since my finest reed was a 15-dent reed, each dent carried three warp threads.

Last in the collage is the inkle loom (upper right). Inkle looms are designed to make narrow bands for use as trims, straps or belts. The resulting product is similar to that produced by tablet-weaving, although generally not as thick. The warp threads are manipulated by hand on an inkle loom to form the shed through which the shuttle passes.

An Inkling

Day 104: For anyone wanting to learn to weave, here is a relatively inexpensive and uncomplicated way to get an inkling of what is involved. Now whether or not the words "inkling" and "inkle" are etymologically related is a matter of some debate. A good dictionary will tell you that the former most likely has its origins in the Middle English term "yngkiling," i.e., to indicate or hint at, but on the flip side, the authors of that same dictionary are bound to refuse to commit themselves to identifying the root for "inkle." More liberal sources may suggest that it derives from Old Norse, though to me it suggests Scotland which, all things considered, would be a logical extension. In any event, the inkle loom or something which was built along the same principles was used widely throughout Europe for centuries before our time as a means to create sturdy, warp-faced bands from a variety of weaving fibers. The manner in which the warp is wound over pegs allows the weaver to create two different sheds by raising or lowering half the threads with a single motion of the hand. The shuttle is then passed through the gap and the weft thread is beaten into place. By alternating "up" with "down," a simple over-and-under weave is created. Variations may be used at the weaver's discretion using the "pick-up" process to raise or lower threads not affiliated with the current shed, allowing more versatility in creating unique designs. Tablet weaving may also be done on an inkle loom.

New Toys

Day 102: After banking almost all of my first economic stimulus check, I decided that the second one might be better applied to some stimulus toward keeping me sane. To that end, I bought myself two new toys, and each has a tale behind it. The first is a bit sad, and concerns the rigid-heddle loom I was given by a friend in our Morris dancing group. I was excited to have a larger rigid heddle at my disposal and warped it up with a project at nearly the full width. After creating six inches of cloth, it was time to advance the warp. To my ultimate dismay, I found that one of the gears would not engage, apparently worn out from use. I managed to transfer the weaving to my floor loom (a process I devoutly hope never to have to repeat!) and thus saved the piece, but the rigid heddle was beyond hope. I was back where I started, with a 10" SampleIt as my only rigid heddle. The new one is a 16" Ashford, mounted here on a floor stand. I purchased it from a dealer in Oregon, but it was shipped to me express mail at no charge all the way from New Zealand!

The second half of the story is funny in hindsight. One of the essential tools any weaver must have is a warping board or warping reel of some sort to aid in measuring out long warp threads. I have a large warping board, so when my mother passed away and I was sorting through her weaving supplies, I decided to yard-sale her smaller warping board which, as I realized several years later, wasn't a warping board at all, but her inkle loom! I'll chalk the mistake up to having been pretty stressed-out at the time, but believe me, I felt pretty silly about it when I discovered what I'd done. Such being the case, I wanted to add an inkle loom to my weaving studio partly to hold the tablet-weaving projects I am currently draping over the 10" rigid heddle (an unorthodox procedure), but also to be able to make inkle bands in the approved manner.

All three items (the rigid heddle, its stand and the inkle loom) required some assembly and the wood (New Zealand white birch) was unfinished. Presently, I'm waiting for the first coat of varnish to dry, anxious to come up to warp speed on both of my new toys.